


island in the sun

by sebsterianart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, also lance works as a merman Surprise, also the title is one of my fave songs so check that out, i literally love florida tho and its super close to cuba so ??, shklance - Freeform, this is like super self-indulgent r ip, this starts out as sheith but works its way to shklance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-11-08 08:21:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11077701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebsterianart/pseuds/sebsterianart
Summary: Keith n Shiro go on a Vacay to Florida in their search for a home other than a Gross Shack in the middle of literally Nowhere and end up meeting a Super Gorgeous tall boi named Lance who works as a merman and is like, Super Famous for being Super Gorgeous and Actually Perfect(tm)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> guess whos back  
> back again  
> its me  
> giving u more trash

Keith looked over the horizon as the sun began to rise, squeezing his lover's hand gently before glancing over to the sleeping man.  
  
They'd been on the plane for a while, so it wasn't a surprise that he'd be tired.  
  
Though Keith himself couldn't sleep; he'd been too excited. Shiro had bought them tickets to Florida- which Keith actually didn't know much about. But, Shiro had obviously looked into it- so that was enough to sate any anxiety the boy had with going to an unknown place.  
  
He gently ran his thumb over his boyfriend's hand as the plane started landing.  
  
"Shiro?"  
  
Shiro stirred lightly before opening his eyes blearily. Keith smiled.  
  
"We're here."  
  
  
-  
  
  
Getting off the plane wasn't too big a deal- but now finding their way around the foreign territory was proving to be more difficult than what they'd hoped.  
  
Shiro squinted at the flimsy map in his hand, hoisting the straps of his luggage higher onto his other arm.  
  
Keith peeked over at the paper, looking down at it before looking around quietly.  
  
"If I'm correct,,,,I think we should be about,,," Shiro paused momentarily, glancing up once before pointing to a space on the map. "here."  
  
Keith hesitated a moment before nodding. That looked about right.  
  
"Shiro, we need to find someplace to stay."  
  
The other chuckled at that, stuffing the map into his pocket and stretching over to peck Keith's cheek. "That's what I'm working on."  
  
He took his bags into both arms then started walking, flitting his gaze over his shoulder and over to Keith.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
"I'm not sure what else I'd do, but, okay." Keith sighed, following Shiro's lead and taking in his surroundings.  
  
It was bright- though they'd already thought of that, so they both had on sunglasses. But the sun still burned Keith's skin and he wished he was wearing his jacket to block it.  
  
He lifted a bag over the back of his neck to shadow himself before catching up to Shiro's side.  
  
Though he was slightly stressed at how dependent he was being on Shiro- and the fact he'd definitely have a sunburn after walking in the heat, his excitement hadn't gone away.  
  
Keith hadn't ever really been one for traveling; due to the fact he bounced around so many times in orphanages in his childhood.  
  
So when he'd finally found a quiet place in the middle of nowhere, where no one would force him to move; he was pretty happy about it.  
  
Then Shiro suddenly came back into his life. Unexpected, and returning home bandaged, scarred, and missing an arm from his service in the air force.  
  
Shiro hadn't approved of his living- a dimly lit shack in the middle of nowhere, with no one to keep him company. So, they had set out to find a place to stay together. And somehow that had turned into them traveling the globe.  
  
Though, Keith wasn't complaining; having Shiro by his side made traveling okay- exciting, even. He was willing to go anywhere if Shiro was there with him.  
  
He glanced up at the other who'd been in his thoughts, his eyes soft as Shiro turned and flashed him a smile.  
  
Keith reached down and linked their hands before bringing himself back down to earth, glancing up at the large hotel they were going into.  
  
"Is this where we'll be staying?" Keith looked back up to Shiro, who gave a nod.  
  
"It was the best hotel I could find." He dropped Keith's hand to open the door, though the boy didn't step in; instead dropping his shoulders with a blush.  
  
Shiro furrowed his eyebrows, letting go of the door to put a hand on his love's shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"It seems really expensive, Shiro. You don't need to do that for me,,,,"  
  
The older male paused a moment before taking his hand away. "I'm not doing it for /you/; I'm doing it for /us/." He gave a smile bordering on mischievous. "And who said I don't want a bit of luxury to myself?"  
  
Keith brought his lips together to contain a laugh, his cheeks stretched as he grinned and gently pushed his boyfriend before laying his head in his chest. "Shut up."  
  
Shiro chuckled, stroking Keith's hair before once again opening the door.  
  
"C'mon."  
  
Keith obliged, peeling himself away from Shiro to enter the building.  
  
It was,,big.  
  
The other hummed as he stepped inside and let the door shut behind him, looking over at Keith before walking over to his side. "I promise the hotel room is smaller."  
  
Violet eyes gave him an anxious glance, to which he planted a kiss into their owner's hair. "Why don't you look around while I get our room? Get more comfortable with the place."  
  
Keith shuffled in place awkwardly, looking at a woman behind a counter-desk who looked up and gave them both a smile.  
  
"....Alright. Be quick, though."  
  
Shiro grinned and gave him one more kiss before going over to the lady who'd been smiling at them, starting up a conversation that Keith couldn't find the focus for. He looked around himself before glancing over to a flight of stairs, choosing to look back at Shiro one more time before going to the second floor.  
  
It was a bit cozier than the first, the narrower spaces giving Keith some comfort; and the rooms did look a lot smaller, from what he could see on the outside.  
  
He walked up to a window and took in the view of the place they'd chosen to vacation.  
  
It looked like something out of a postcard- which made him feel slightly out of place. But, that had to do with Shiro not being by him at the moment, too.  
  
Keith jumped a bit as a hand went onto his shoulder, whipping around as he was broken from his thoughts.  
  
Shiro grinned and held up the keys to their room.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
Posture relaxing, Keith sighed slightly before giving a smile. "Ready."  
  
Shiro started to lead them both to the room- taking a few wrong turns, to which made Keith take over and try to find the room's number.  
  
But after a couple of minutes, they'd finally found it.  
  
Keith unlocked the door and took in the view.  
  
It was a lot like the shack he'd lived in; just cleaner, and with two beds.  
  
Shiro glanced over at the sleeping arrangement before drooping awkwardly.  
  
"I can go back and-"  
  
"It's fine." Keith dropped his luggage onto the floor and went over to one of the beds, beginning to push it over to the other.  
  
Shiro watched, exasperated. "Keith, I don't think you're supposed to do that,,"  
  
But nonetheless, he dropped his luggage and went over to help.  
  
Keith sat on his work once they were together, looking over at Shiro proudly before promptly scrambling as the heavier male flopped next to him, making the boy laugh.  
  
Shiro looped an arm around Keith and dragged him over to his chest, much to his lover's joy, smiling brightly before giving him a kiss.  
  
Keith put his hands on Shiro's chest, turning his head to get a better angle before breaking away and resting his forehead against his, his gaze at the other's lips before it traveled up to his eyes.  
  
Shiro met his gaze for a moment before smooching him chastely, patting his back with one hand as he sighed and looked over at their luggage.  
  
"We should unpack."  
  
Keith stretched out lazily on Shiro's chest before propping himself up, going over to his suitcase and unzipping it as Shiro sat up and watched, a slight glimmer from inside the suitcase distracting him.  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows and moved closer, picking up the shiny object with a sigh.  
  
"Keith,,,,don't tell me you snuck this into the airport."  
  
The boy snapped his head to Shiro's direction and quickly snatched his knife back, holding it protectively. "I couldn't just **_leave_** it."  
  
The older male put his face into his hands. "We could've gotten into so much trouble-"  
  
"But we didn't." Keith cut in, staring him down before putting his knife into his pocket.  
  
Shiro sighed at that, running his hands over his face before going to his luggage. "Just don't do it again,,"  
  
Keith didn't reply, quietly putting his small wardrobe into the drawers the room supplied and waiting till Shiro had finished doing the same.  
  
Once finished, Shiro looked over at him and smiled slightly, melting the previous tension of the room.  
  
"Wanna go out?"  
  
  
-  
  
  
The postcard-like scenery was even more overwhelming up close, Keith in somewhat awe as he looked around.  
  
They were shaded by the trees, now; the sun and heat not as overwhelming as before.  
  
Shiro had stopped at a stand and bought sunscreen, too; so Keith could relax.  
  
At the moment, they were looking for a place to sit down and plan out the rest of their day at, stopping at a small shaded area in sand.  
  
Keith sat down and popped his shirt off, asking Shiro if he could put the sunscreen on his back; to which his boyfriend of course obliged.  
  
Keith shivered slightly at the coldness of the lather, but quickly relaxed to Shiro's touch.  
  
"There's a lot for us to do here." He mentioned, kissing one of Keith's shoulders. "We could even go to Disney if you want."  
  
Keith blushed, but didn't object to it. He never got to go as a kid; so maybe it'd be fun. He'd heard a lot about it after all.  
  
"Or, we could stay here in the sand.." Shiro offered, his voice dropping some. Keith nodded slightly so he'd continue.  
  
"Something I've heard a lot about are these 'Mermaid shows' though-"  
  
Keith turned his head at that, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at him. "'Mermaid shows'?"  
  
Shiro smiled and nodded. "They're supposed to be pretty cool."  
  
The boy stared over him before turning his head away once more, humming in response. "I guess we could check that out."  
  
"Alright then, mermaid shows it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy yea this is the first chapter so nothing rly happened other than Gay but i kinda live 4 the gay
> 
> if u also live for gay feel free to message me on my tumblr: sebsterianart.tumblr.com/
> 
> and be sure 2 show me if u liked this bc i need Validation(tm) and i'll have the second chapter up in literally like seconds if u do
> 
> catch u on the flipside my dudes


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i rewrote this three times ??

Keith and Shiro stared into the large aquarium tank, the dimly lit room bringing out the bright blue of the water.  
  


The show had been interesting thus far; but not really Keith's taste. Shiro was interested, though, so he didn't mind, laying his head on the male's shoulder as his gaze started drifting away.

  
Then, suddenly; another performer joined in, creating a mess of bubbles and almost concealing themself in the process.

  
But Keith could make out a thin dark shape through them, and a flash of fake blue luminescent scales; catching the light to almost make a rainbow.

  
Shiro pointed out the new mermaid- or, merman. "This is their best performer." He whispered, as to not distract anyone from the show.

  
Keith nodded and looked over the stranger's form as the bubbles cleared. It was obvious that he was their best, just from the looks of him. He'd been decked out in all sorts of pearls and thin golden chains, complimenting his sun-kissed skin and making him look weightless and ethereal in the water.

  
His movements were graceful as he waved and grinned to the watchers before looking at Shiro and Keith, cupping his hands over his mouth before blowing a practiced kiss of bubbles towards them, making Keith blush and look away towards the other members of the audience.

  
The merman seemed popular with kids; them making most of the audience. He took his time to make sure he blew a kiss towards the rest of them before swimming up to the top of the aquarium, popping over  
the top and stretching his lanky form over the glass, shaking water onto the visitors and making the kids squeal and laugh.

  
Keith grimaced and hid behind Shiro, making Shiro laugh along with everyone else.

  
The merman was only in the water for a short time; but when he left, everyone else seemed to also. Keith felt sorta bad for the other performers, but there was no denying that the merman had been the main act.

  
They ended up walking out with the crowd, Shiro taking Keith's hand into his and squeezing it gently. "Did you like it?"

  
Keith nodded, slipping his sunglasses back on as he thought back to the showy merman. "It was better than I thought it'd be."

  
He looked around slightly as he heard a sudden squeal from behind him, drawing his attention as he glanced back curiously.

  
"Se trata de algo soprendente ! Did you see hermano Lance Mamá??" A thin tan boy excitedly shouted, making what-Keith-figured-was his mother chuckle.

**_  
Lance._ **

  
"Yes, yes! Mi hijo is very beautiful." She responded, beaming proudly.

  
A tall figure suddenly came from the distance, a small towel around his neck and another in his hands, which he gave to the assumed mother apologetically. "Sorry for getting you wet, Mamá." It was obvious that he'd been the merman in the show; his ethereal features still visible above water.

  
The short female waved it off as she started to dry off her damp hair with the given towel. "Don't worry about it, mijo."

  
Keith didn't understand what else was said, as him and Shiro walked farther. But he could hear more people huddling around the mother to ramble about what they'd just seen.

  
Shiro looked back at Keith curiously, him not having spoken for a while. "Keith? You alright?"

  
The boy snapped out of his thoughts to look up at Shiro, blinking. "What?"

  
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "I asked if you were okay. What are you looking at?" He glanced over into the direction Keith had been staring, spotting the merman on land immediately.

  
"Oh! It's the guy from the show. Do you wanna go over to him?"

  
Keith hesitated, staring at Shiro before casting his gaze over to the stranger. ",,,Sure,"

  
Shiro smiled warmly, walking over to the family and giving a wave to get their attention.  
  
  
Two women from the crowd looked over at them before saying something and walking away, the family waving at them before Lance looked over questioningly, perking up once he recognized them from the audience at the show. "Oh, hey! What's up?"

  
"We just wanted to say your performance was great, you're really beautiful in the water."

  
The tanned man blushed at that, eyes flitting over to his eavesdropping family before he sucked in a breath, puffing his chest some. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself." He ended his compliment with a wink, causing Shiro to chuckle- even though Keith could tell that his face was flushed. Lance glanced down at the smaller boy, a smirk playing onto his lips. "And you, too."

  
Keith blinked, crossing his arms awkwardly. "Uh, thanks." He looked away embarrassedly before looking up at Shiro, the man putting his arm around him.

  
"I'm Shiro, and this is my boyfriend, Keith."

  
Lance seemed taken back at that, though only for a second. But Keith caught it nonetheless, cringing on the inside as he hoped the man wasn't a homophobe.

  
Quickly regaining his composure to introduce himself, the tall male held out his right hand. "Name's Lance."

  
Shiro extended his own to shake it, but quickly realized his mistake as Lance hesitated a moment. He flinched his hand back some, looking apologetic. "Ah,,I'm sorry,,"

  
Catching himself, Lance quickly shook his head, grabbing the prosthetic hand before Shiro hid it away and giving it a firm shake, flashing a smile. "My bad. You just don't see that everyday, you know?"

  
Shiro relaxed, whereas Keith tensed, not liking where the conversation had lead. Though a sudden tug on Keith's shirt made the raven-haired boy look down, a small brown-haired girl staring up at him and Shiro with round eyes.  
  
  
"Hermano Lance was just about to take us to get ice cream! Do you want to come?"  
  
  
"Uh,," Keith looked over at Shiro, unsure how to respond.  
  
  
Shiro gently squeezed Keith to his side. "We would love to, but I'm sure we've taken too much of your time already, so we should get-"  
  
  
"Nonsense!" The mother figure from before clapped her hands together, coming out from behind Lance to grin at them both. "The more the merrier!"  
  
  
Keith and Shiro shared a glance before Shiro chuckled. "I guess that's alright then."  
  
  
The family cheered some, leaving Lance to blink before looking down at his little sister, the girl going over to his brother and whispering something. The brother gave her a fist bump, snickering. Lance narrowed his eyes suspiciously, face flushed as the group began to move.  
  
  
"Tell me, how long have you two been together?" The mother asked the couple, holding her hands together with a smile.  
  
  
Keith relaxed some as he thought. "Uhm, a couple of years, I think." It was difficult to think back to a time where Keith wasn't in love with Shiro. But, he wasn't sure that counted.  
  
  
"About four." Shiro corrected. "We had to take a break while I was on deployment, though."  
  
  
Lance's brother perked up, turning his head over to Shiro. "Is that how you lost your arm?"  
  
  
His mother shushed and scolded him, giving him a small smack to the arm as Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes."  
  
  
The little girl who'd invited them went over to Shiro's right side, gazing at his arm with wide eyes before coming upon a realization, gasping. "It's just like the Terminator!"  
  
  
The brother who'd been scolded tried putting on his deepest voice. "Hasta la vista, baby."  
  
  
Their mother sighed heavily, putting her hands over her face. "Ay, dios mío- I am so sorry for my children."  
  
  
Shiro waved it off, chuckling lightly. "It's fine. This is the first time someone's ever commented positively on my arm." At least, he thought it was positive.  
  
  
Keith stopped walking at that and raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and giving Shiro a look.  
  
  
Shiro blinked as he glanced over to his boyfriend, turning sheepish at the look and rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, someone other than Keith, that is." He leaned over and gave Keith a quick smooch to the cheek, making the boy grin.  
  
  
Lance, feeling awkward, slinked through the crowd that was his family and went over to open the door to the shop for them, dramatically taking a bow as he gestured through the doorway.  
  
  
Lance's mother gave him a loving pat on the cheek as she stepped through, leading the crowd to a table. "This used to be Lance's favorite spot to eat when he was younger."  
  
  
Shiro perked up as he took a seat. "Have you lived here long?"  
  
  
Lance planted himself on the other side of Shiro, leaning his elbows on the table. "No, they live in Cuba. They just come here to visit me and watch my work."  
  
  
Shiro nodded. "Well, Keith and I are looking for a new home. So, if you have anything to say about this place, that'd be great."  
  
  
"It's really nice here! Hermano Lance lets us stay over sometimes. Plus, there are mermaids!" Lance's sister chirped, brushing her thick hair over her shoulder. "Even though they're not real."  
  
  
Lance gasped dramatically at the girl, holding a hand to his chest. "Who told you that ??" He jabbed an accusing finger into the older brother's direction. "Emilio!"  
  
  
"It wasn't me! I promise!" Emilio held his hands up defensively, shrinking back in his chair.  
  
  
"Emilio?" Keith spoke up, looking over to the boy.  
  
  
Lance stopped and dropped his hand, furrowing his eyebrows. "Did I not tell you their names?"  
  
  
Shiro and Keith shook their heads, making the boy introduce them properly.  
  
  
He gestured over to the thin boy. "That's Emilio. But, you already knew that. And this is Maela." His gesturing fell to the small girl seated in front of them, who gave a grin and waved.  
  
  
"And this is my mamá." Lance pointed over to his mother, who flashed a smile. "But you can call her Lora."  
  
  
He crossed his arms on top of the table, resting on his elbows. "And there were more earlier, but they went back home already."  
  
  
Keith nodded, remembering the tall tan female and the larger, curly haired women he'd seen before they had come over.  
  
  
"But anyways, this place is really great. You should totally think about staying here." Lance propped his chin on a fist. "I mean, if you can stand the heat."  
  
  
Shiro chuckled. "Well, Keith isn't fond of it. But, he lived in a shack in the desert with no air-conditioning for over a year. So, I think he can deal with it."  
  
  
Keith's face flushed as he huffed lightly, about to say something heated. But, he refrained; instead ignoring the comment and looking over towards the menu.  
  
  
Maela followed Keith's violet gaze and tugged on Lance's shirt, face melting into a pout. Lance looked down at her quizzically before slapping his hand onto the table.  
  
  
"The ice cream! Right?"  
  
  
She nodded. "You forgot."  
  
  
Lance rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry about that," He looked over towards Shiro and Keith. "what do you guys want?"  
  
  
Shiro hummed. "Anything is fine."  
  
  
Keith looked over at the menu awkwardly. "I'm lactose intolerant?"  
  
  
Lance's sister furrowed her eyebrows, looking up towards him. "What's 'lack toast and tolerant'?"  
  
  
Lance blinked, looking towards the menu as Shiro rubbed Keith's arm in comfort. "Oh." He pursed his lips before shrugging, standing up from his chair. "Just leave it to me then, I'll find you something." The male flung a wink towards Keith's direction before walking over to order, his voice becoming inaudible.  
  
  
He soon returned with five ice cream cones and a blue slushie, handing it over to Keith.  
  
  
Keith wrinkled his nose, poking at the substance with his straw. "What,,,,is it?"  
  
  
Lance gasped, almost dropping an ice cream, much to Maela's displeasure.  
  
  
"Are you telling me you've never had a slushie????"  
  
  
Keith shook his head awkwardly, pushing the drink away and wiping a cold hand onto his jeans before the cup was quickly jammed into his face.  
  
  
"You have to try it!"  
  
  
Keith flinched back, staring down at it before hesitantly grabbing it. "What's in it?"  
  
  
Lance sighed dreamily. "Heaven itself."  
  
  
Unimpressed with the answer, Keith stayed silent, making the other raise a brow.  
  
  
"Well, if you aren't gonna drink it, I guess I will." He brought the straw to his lips and noisily sipped up the artificially-colored ice, giving a satisfied sigh afterwards and looking down at the slushie. "Oh man, Keith, buddy,,you are missing out; this is the best thing I've ever tasted."  
  
  
Emilio stopped licking his ice cream to look over at the drink curiously, watching Lance take another sip before putting his ice cream down. "I wanna try!"  
  
  
Lance side-glanced his brother before taking his lips off the straw. "No way, buddy; this is all mine."  
  
  
Emilio glared quietly before launching himself at the taller male, reaching out a hand to grab the slushie from his hands. Lance laughed and held it away, making Emilio struggle to keep up with his shorter arms. Lance tilted back farther and farther before the slushie slipped from his hands, both boys gasping before Shiro shot across the table, quickly grabbing it before it fell.  
  
  
Everyone stopped and stared as Shiro handed the drink over to Keith, sighing lightly.  
  
  
Lora blinked and turned her head over to the boys, staring at them wide eyed in disbelief before scolding them in a language Keith couldn't understand. Though after she was done both boys had sunk back into their chairs, avoiding eye contact and murmuring a 'yes mamá'.  
  
  
She stared them down for a couple seconds longer before sighing, turning over to Shiro. "Thank you, Shiro."  
  
  
He held up his hands awkwardly. "It's no problem."  
  
  
Keith looked over at Lance before taking a sip of the drink, ignoring Lance's eye twitch at the action.  
  
  
His violet eyes widened as he pulled back from it, looking down at the drink with a light blush. "..This is really good."  
  
  
Lance puffed his chest, grinning proudly at his choice in sweets till Shiro leaned over and stole a sip while Keith was distracted, immediately pulling back after and looking innocent.  
  
  
"Shiro-!" Keith flushed, pulling the drink away from his boyfriend. Even though he tried to act offended, he couldn't hold in his giggling as Shiro swooped in and gave him a hug to keep him from moving away, peppering his face in kisses.  
  
  
Lance shifted awkwardly at the display, looking away and pretending to check the time while the rest of them laughed.  
  
  
After one final kiss, Shiro pulled away, Keith grinning up at him before realizing he had stolen the drink again while he'd been distracted.  
  
  
Shiro took a large sip, obviously amused as Keith crossed his arms and looked away.  
  
  
Lora linked her fingers under her chin, resting her face on them as she looked over at the two. "So, when's the wedding?"  
  
  
Shiro promptly choked on the drink, his hand flying over to cover his mouth while Keith took the chance to steal the drink back with reddened cheeks, ignoring the question by taking a sip of it and looking away.  
  
  
The woman laughed lightly, eyes crinkling in her smirk.  
  
  
Lance cleared his throat from the other side of the table, making their gaze fall upon him as he held his phone up to his mother. "It's getting late, mamá. You don't want to miss your ride."  
  
  
She blinked and took the phone for a closer look before she relaxed. "Ah, thank you, mijo." She stood from her chair and handed the phone back before smiling over at Shiro and Keith, gathering her kids. "It was very nice to meet you two. I hope we see you again."  
  
  
Maela quickly scarfed down the rest of her ice cream cone, giving a muffled goodbye as she hopped out of her seat and waved, Emilio doing the same as they were lead out by Lora.  
  
  
Shiro and Keith waved back at them before turning to Lance, who stretched in his seat lazily. "Well, I guess you two probably should get going too, huh?"  
  
  
Shiro took his phone out of his pocket curiously before showing it to Keith, who nodded and stood, waiting for Shiro to do the same.  
  
  
Lance gave them finger guns and a wink. "See you later, then."  
  
  
"Definitely." Shiro smiled at him, making Lance blink and flush.  
  
  
"Uhm-"  
  
  
"See you later, Lance." Keith interrupted, taking Shiro's hand and walking out, leaving a very confused and slightly flustered Lance behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact even tho i love florida and also mermaids ive never been to one of their shows ???? so im just goin off of what ive seen on youtube my dudes so its probably Way Wrong but w/e
> 
> and also another fun fact i literally know No Spanish so thats probably wrong too but i felt weird leaving it out so ?? im Trying M'best but feel free to yell at me if u actually know spanish and are like "what the fuck"
> 
> anyways tho as always heres my tumblr: sebsterianart.tumblr.com/
> 
> have a Totally Tubular Day my guys


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet

Lance ran a hand through his hair as he kicked his legs onto his bed, nodding in response to his friend's comment even though the conversation they were having through his laptop was only verbal.

  
"-I dunno, dude. I think you're over-analyzing things; they probably just meant 'see you later', as in like, ' ** _see you later_** '."

  
The boy groaned, faceplanting into his pillow. "You're not helping, Hunk."

  
"Sorry."

  
Lance brought his face out of his pillow, resting his chin on the fluffy surface with a heavy sigh. "I just don't get it, though. Why would they want to ' ** _see me later_** '? All they did was makeout and act all lovey-dovey with each other." His voice dropped to a mumble near the end, expression bitter.

  
"Maybe they're exhibitionists." Another voice rang from the line, Lance practically screeching in reply.

  
"C'mon Pidge- I'm being serious !"

  
"Who said I wasn't?" They replied bemusedly.

  
Lance glared at his screen before sighing, giving up on the conversation. "Whatever, guys,,,thanks for your help anyways, I guess."

  
"You're welcome." Both voices replied.

  
" ** _Not you_** ,  ** _Pidge_**."

  
The girl simply snorted, and ended the call ended soon after, Hunk following to leave Lance in silence.

  
The male lazily rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

  
Though he knew his friends meant well; he couldn't help but want a little more support. Of course, he could call his mamá; but the last time he did that she came over and wouldn't leave till Lance was 100%. Which, wasn't a  ** _bad_**  thing; he loved his mamá.  
  
  
But, she had a life of her own, and other people than Lance to take care of. He wouldn't want to hold her up like last time.

  
He threw his arms over his eyes, taking in one more moment of self-pity before inhaling deeply and bounding from his bed, starting on his way to work. 

  
It was obvious that the fact he'd taken longer than usual hadn't gone unnoticed, a head of white hair peeking over immediately as he walked in.

  
"Lance! We were almost beginning to think you wouldn't come." Allura teased as she combed her fingers through her styled hair, walking out in front of him.

  
Lance hummed and stretched his arms over his head, looking over the other styled members. "Rough morning."

  
"It's 12 PM." She deadpanned before shaking her head, changing the subject with a smile. "Anyhow, come help me finish the girls up."

  
The male perked up at the words, fixing his attitude as he followed her out, the girls turning their heads towards him curiously. From the looks of it, they were already halfway done; leaving just the makeup to be put on.

  
"Hello, ladies." Lance clicked his tongue, giving a wink as he got a greeting from them in reply. "Lookin' beautiful as always. Does anyone need some help?"

  
A couple hands raised, Lance walking over to the first and grabbing her makeup kit.

  
He wasn't amazing at makeup; but, he was alright. He'd grown up with a couple of sisters, so he knew the basics.

  
Plus, with the internet; he had everything he needed in order to improve.

  
He had just finished brushing the cheek markings onto Allura's face before she checked the time, eyes widening as she stood from her chair and hastily untied her pink robe, tossing it onto her chair and clapping her hands. "Ladies, we only have 30 more minutes till showtime!"

  
It was slight chaos from then on out.

  
Though, Lance was used to it; instead focusing on fixing up his own appearance up as everyone started getting into position, the boy just barely making it as his cue was called.

  
He didn't waste any time; hastily diving into the water as he'd been taught, giving his best princess-wave to the audience before blowing a kiss to buy some time, searching for Shiro and Keith's faces in the crowd.

  
They weren't there.

  
Lance paused his actions for a moment, feeling conflicted.

  
Of **_course_** they weren't there.

  
They were practically strangers. They'd probably just said 'see you later' in order to be polite.

  
It meant nothing.

  
Lance looked down at the ground before snapping out of his thoughts as the crowd suddenly cheered, the boy confusedly looking over to see Allura had dove into the water next to him.

  
**_Shit_** , he'd been frozen too long.

  
Panicked, Lance quickly switched back to his mermaid persona, forcing a grin as he followed Allura's lead.

  
Even though the performance hadn't gone as planned; it was a success as always, the crowd leaving satisfied as he haphazardly slipped out of his tail and dried off, ignoring Allura's pointed stare towards him.

  
"Lance."

  
He bit his lip and focused on drying his ankle, making Allura sigh and walk over, placing a hand onto his shoulder.

  
"What was that back there?"

  
Lance took in a breath before facing her, faux furrowing his brows at the question. "What was what ?"

  
Obviously not impressed, the female pursed her lips, taking her hand off his shoulder and putting it onto her hip. "You know what I'm talking about."

  
"I'm afraid I don't, Princess-"

  
Allura cringed at the nickname, sighing exasperatedly. Lance was a good guy; but extremely frustrating when he wanted to be.

  
"If that's how you're going to act, then fine." She looked towards him once more before she began to walk off. "But I expect an explanation soon."

  
**_Ouch._ **

  
Lance slipped his shirt on and waited a couple minutes before taking his leave too, not wanting to accidentally bump into her and having to face her again.

  
He walked around a bit aimlessly, keeping his gaze on the ground as he went.

  
He hoped Allura wasn't mad at him. Or at least, wasn't disappointed.

  
But he knew that the expression she'd had had said it all; he'd screwed up. Majorly.

  
All because of two random people he met the day before.

  
Lance sighed before pausing in his steps, perking his head up and coming face to face with none other than one of his favorite restaurants.

  
Cheesy.

  
But, not cheesy enough to override his sense of nostalgia.

  
He ordered a couple items and ate on the shore, watching the waves as they rolled in.

  
Normally, he'd think this to be a perfect day for some surfing.  
  
  
But, his day was already decided; he was going to eat his food, go back to his house, watch  ** _50 first dates_**  till he cried, then lie awake in bed till 4AM questioning his life choices.

  
A typical Friday.

  
Lance scarfed down the rest of his food and began making his way to a trashcan, only to be interrupted by a sudden squeal in the distance.

  
"Dad, look!"

  
The boy quickly swallowed his mouthful of half-chewed meal as he looked over curiously, a small girl quickly running over to him.

  
"It's the mermaid !"

**_  
Oh._ **

  
Lance grinned widely at her, tossing his styrofoam takeout box away. "Well hello, princess."

  
She bounced in place excitedly, taking a moment to catch her breath as he looked over Lance.

  
Though, her face suddenly scrunched up, eyes wide.  
  
  
"Wait,,where'd your tail go??"

  
She seemed genuinely concerned, Lance glancing down at her shirt to find it was a close up of the little mermaid.  
  
  
**_Ah._**

  
"Don't worry, I didn't make any deals with sea witches." He assured smoothly, making her calm down. "I just think it's cool to walk around sometimes, you know?  ** _Spend a day warm on the sand_**."

  
The girl shook her head. "If I was a mermaid, I'd stay underwater  ** _all day_**."

  
Well.

  
Lance fumbled for an answer before choosing to look up at her parent instead as they finally made their way over.

  
"Honey, I told you to stop running off from me."

  
"But, Dad, look!"

  
The male sighed halfheartedly and turned to Lance, smiling lightly.

  
Lance of course returned the smile, wanting to make a good impression.

  
"Can we get his autograph?"

  
"Of course!" Lance answered her before the Father could, taking her book and looking over it before writing down his name, feeling honored to have his signature next to the signature of Ariel herself.  
  
  
Or at least, the crew member that had played her that day.

  
Nonetheless though, it was nice; and left him with a warm feeling even after they'd parted ways.

  
**_Okay so_** ; maybe today wasn't a typical Friday. Maybe he could still make it good.  
  
  
He just needed to forget about Shiro and Keith.

  
,,Easier said than done; but he could do it, he just needed to distract himself.

  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
He ended up spending the day as a tourist, visiting all the hot spot attractions. Of course, he'd been to them all before; but it didn't matter, it took his mind off that crushing disappointment that'd happened earlier, and wasted his day in a way other than watching  ** _50 first dates_** and crying.

  
So Lance ended up heading back satisfied, pulling his phone from his pocket to check the time.

  
Midnight.

**_  
Sweet._ **

  
Happy, he kept on his way to his house, but was suddenly stopped as he spotted a figure out of the corner of his eye.

  
The beach and everything was long deserted; no one in their right mind would be out at this time.

  
Except, maybe college students.

  
And Lance.

  
And apparently **_this guy_**.

  
The male furrowed his brows, putting his phone back as he stared.

  
It could be a murderer or something.

  
Or a hobo.

  
Though, hobo was a lot better than murderer.

  
Curiously, he crept down into the sand, keeping his distance as he observed them.

  
The man seemed bulky; a pretty fit guy. With black hair, and a grey stripe in the middle-

**_  
Wait a second._ **

  
"Shiro??"

  
Shiro quickly looked up at him, wide-eyed.

  
Lance matched the expression, blinking owlishly.

  
"Lance ?"

  
Okay, so, he remembered his name. Nice, but, didn't answer any questions.

  
"What- what are you doing out here ?" Lance swallowed, trying to clear the obvious shock from his throat as he walked over.

  
Shiro looked away at that, rubbing the back of his neck. It was obvious he was uncomfortable.

  
Not liking the tension in the air, Lance changed the subject, gesturing slightly. "Where's Keith? You guys seemed joined at the hip the other day."

  
"He's asleep." Shiro answered, casting his gaze back to the hotel in the distance, Lance following his gaze before switching his attention back to him.

  
",,,,Did,,you guys get into a fight or something?"

  
"No-!" Shiro quickly defended, tensing before sighing. "I just can't sleep, and I didn't want to wake him up."

  
"Oh." Lance stood in place awkwardly, shifting his feet before deciding to take a seat next to him.

  
"Why can't you sleep?"

  
He pursed his lips, going nonverbal once more.

  
Taking the hint, Lance hummed and dropped it, hugging his knees to his chest. "Well, whatever it is- it's pretty late, so, you should probably head back now."

  
Shiro stayed silent, contemplating for a few moments before giving in.

  
"It's,,nightmares. My therapist said it's PTSD."

  
Lance frowned sympathetically. "Dude- I'm so sorry,,"

  
Shiro took in a breath, continuing. "Usually, I can deal with them, but,," He rubbed his face. "Keith just started sleeping with me, and,,I'm scared I'll end up hurting him."

  
"I don't think you'd do that-" Lance interjected, Shiro quickly shutting him down.

  
"It's,,happened before,"

  
Lance went silent.

  
"I was,,in the middle of a dream, and I ended up on top of him, thinking he was an enemy soldier." The man's face scrunched, a disbelieving scoff under his breath.  "The worst part of it,,was that he said it was okay, and held me till I calmed down."

  
Lance looked away. This wasn't any of his business, but he had to stick his nose into it- and now, he had no idea what to say.

  
"That's,,,,"

  
"Yeah." Shiro replied, shoulders slumping.

  
Lance sighed.

  
"Look, dude. I don't,,know you that well, so I don't know what to say, but,,,," Lance tilted his head closer towards him. "I know something that would cheer anyone in this situation up,"

  
Shiro furrowed his brows quizzically. "I don't drink."

  
"No, no," Lance held up his finger. "better."

  
  
  
-  
  
  
 

Shiro looked at the surfboards in Lance's arms in disbelief, gaping at the height of them.

  
"Pretty cool, right ? I got this one custom when I was 16." Lance grinned. "Birthday present from my mamá."

  
"Lance-"

  
"Don't worry, it's pretty easy. You just gotta find your balance. Once you do that," Lance snapped his fingers together for emphasis.

  
"Piece of cake !"

  
"I'm not so sure about this," Shiro replied as the other started laying the boards out. "how will we be able to see?"

  
"Our good ol' pal ** _la luna_**." The boy answered, looking up towards the bright moon. It was a clear night; so they shouldn't have any problems.

  
Of course, there was the glaring problem that Shiro had no clue how to surf. But, they'd cover that.

  
Besides; Lance picked it up quick when he was younger, and he was sure Shiro would have more balance than lanky ten-year-old Lance.

  
"Alright, so, just lay down on your board." Lance got belly-down onto the smooth surface, arching his back as he faced Shiro. "Like this."

  
The older male followed his lead, laying onto his board and looking to Lance for approval.

  
"Yeah! Just like that. Make sure that little line is right in the center. Then,," Lance went flat before putting his hands at the sides of his chest, pressing himself up.

  
"Kinda like a pushup, which, I'm sure you're familiar with,," The boy eyed Shiro's muscles for a second before clearing his throat, ripping his gaze away.

  
Shiro raised a brow, but complied, pushing up.

  
"Alright now get onto your knees," Lance demonstrated, glancing up at the other to make sure he was following.

  
After a moment of silence in the position, Shiro perked up, a teasing grin coming onto his features. "No 'I'm sure you're familiar with' this time ?"

  
Lance squinted before his eyes widened, the boy stuttering awkwardly. "Uh--"

  
"I'm joking."

  
"Oh, yeah,,I knew that." Lance let out a breathy laugh, staring down at his board.

  
"Anyways-"

  
Lance propped his knee, then stood up, holding his arms out some as he bent his knees.

  
"Just like that. Though, you wanna catch your balance first."

  
Shiro mimed him to perfection, seeming to be more open to the idea as they went through the motions.

  
"Seems easy enough, I guess."

  
"That's the spirit!"

  
Lance and Shiro put their boards out, Lance straddling his as Shiro worked on simply getting onto his own.

  
"Just paddle yourself till you get a wave, then the rest is history, dude."

  
Shiro hesitated a moment before heeding his advice, mounting his board and beginning to paddle out. Lance did the same, tailing him before switching to the side.

  
"It looks like there's a wave coming up over there," He pointed out, readying himself as he looked over to Shiro.

  
Shiro nodded, doing the same, though anxiously. The closest thing he'd done to surfing was slipping on a patch of ice in the driveway back at his childhood home; and that'd been terrifying. So, to say he was scared was an understatement.  
  
  
Though, he kept his composure, not wanting to flounder in front of his instructor.

  
"Here it comes !"

  
He braced himself, paddling closer and getting ready to stand, only to immediately fall over and get smacked down with the harsh wave.

  
"Shiro-!"

  
Lance ditched riding in favor of making sure the male was okay, paddling over quickly and staring at the water's surface.

  
It took a second, but Shiro eventually popped up, his hair shielding his eyes.

  
Lance hesitated, grabbing Shiro's astray board to bring it back over.

  
"Are you-"

  
A loud laugh cut off the rest of his sentence, making him blink.

  
Shiro was laughing.

  
**_He was laughing._ **

  
Lance's bewilderment turned into a large grin as the other brushed back his white bangs, still chuckling.  
  


"You looked great out there." Lance teased, holding Shiro's board steady for him as he re-mounted it.

  
"Thanks, I'm hoping to tour the world soon."

  
Both men shook as they held in their laughter, Lance's mouth aching from his smile.

  
"Seriously, though." Shiro looked up at Lance, giving a soft smile.

  
"Thank you."

  
Lance scanned over his expression before returning the same, relaxed.

  
"No problem."

  
They both headed back to their quarters soon after the event, Shiro exhausted and unable to keep up with the ocean's currents.

  
He quietly slipped into his shared room and shut the door behind himself before looking up, smiling at the image of his sleeping boyfriend.

  
Keith had always been a heavy sleeper; and it'd always come in handy with Shiro's nightmares.

  
Of course, except for that one event.

  
He pursed his lips at the intrusive reminder of his predicament, but brushed it away, trying to focus on not waking Keith as he changed into some dry clothes and silently slid into his place beside him.

  
Pressing a soft kiss to Keith's hair, Shiro turned his back to him, only to be stopped by the boy suddenly shifting, spooning against him.  
  
  
Shiro tensed at the touch, Keith taking notice and gently linking their hands together under the blankets, mumbling sleepily against Shiro's shoulder.  
  
  
"Sleep, Takashi,,"  
  
  
Relaxing at the sound of his name, he thankfully brought Keith's hand to his lips before shutting his eyes, letting himself be held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact i ?? literally wrote the first half of this 2 months ago but then was unhappy w/ the rest and gave up for a while to focus on my other fic  
> but now like, vice-versa's happening so Ay
> 
> but anyways, as always if u liked this be sure to hmu w/ some of those Sweet Comments
> 
> here's my tumblr if u ever wanna chat: sebsterianart.tumblr.com/
> 
> Stay Cool Cats
> 
>  
> 
> edit; ok im working on fixing th double notes thing Hold Up


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry for taking so long; i suddenly realized my writing was like Way bad so i went on a soul journey for a while
> 
> the soul journey was just reading a bunch of fanfic and taking notes, but w/e

When Keith and Shiro awoke, the day was calm, compared to last night. The sun shone through the windows and beat down on Keith's face, highlighting his freshly-awoken features as Shiro kissed his head.

  
"Good morning."

  
Keith hummed, taking a moment to stretch out before talking. "Did you rest well?" He blearily peered up at his lover, slightly concerned he might've not slept at all, judging by the hour he'd come to bed and the fact he was up before Keith.

  
"I always sleep well when you're here." Shiro gave a smile, which Keith reciprocated with a scowl.

  
"Don't give me that," He paused, linking his fingers between Shiro's, which had been resting in his unruly bedhead. "You know you can tell me what's bothering you,,"

  
Shiro seemed to consider that, scanning Keith's expression before sighing, sitting up in bed.

  
",,I'm scared I'm going to hurt you."

  
Keith quickly woke up at that, shooting up from his resting position to face him. "You won't-"

  
"I  ** _have_** , and it might happen again." He bit his lips together, refusing to look at him as he stared into his blanketed lap.

  
Keith shook his head, obviously not accepting the answer and shifting closer. "I trust you, Shiro. Even if something happens again, I know you'll wake up and snap out of it."

  
Shiro finally turned his head towards him at that, meeting his eyes. "Keith,,,"

  
Keith fell quiet, puffing his chest some as he waited for him to continue.

  
But Shiro simply huffed affectionately, shaking his head before changing the subject. "Did you think about what you want to do today?"

  
Keith pursed his lips, taking Shiro's efforts into consideration and deciding to drop his speech he'd built-up, taking a moment to ponder.

  
"I think we should just stay here."

  
"A day in bed?" Shiro raised his brows, though a smile was forming on his face.

  
"Yeah." Keith scanned over Shiro's expression carefully before smiling back.

  
After a beat, Shiro shrugged, nodding. "Alright; sounds like a plan." He hummed as he stretched, slowly settling back into his blankets and opening them in offer towards his boyfriend, who happily slid back into holding Shiro, shifting as he shuffled for the remote.

  
It was a dumb plan, he knew; But Shiro needed more rest. And no way was Shiro going to stay awake in a bed this warm and soft with quiet tv noise in the background.

  
It took a while, but eventually their argument was fully forgotten and Shiro was nodding off against his will, trying to keep his eyes open long enough till the end of the news report, but ultimately failing when Keith ran his fingers through his hair.

  
It was only when Shiro was asleep did Keith start on with his actual plans for the day. He didn't want to leave Shiro alone; but he'd only be gone for a couple of hours.

  
They'd slept in, so it would be right around the time for Lance's performance of the day to start. Which, Keith hadn't planned, but it worked out great considering Lance was crucial part of what he was planning.

  
He quietly slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him, putting up a do not disturb sign and slinking down the stairs. His hair was still messy and his breath was awful; but he could fix that later, so he put it aside and focused on finding Lance.

  
It took him a couple of tries, only having a vague sense of where Lance's work had been the last he'd come; but he made it, opening the doors and staring up at the large pane of glass that held the water in.

  
He didn't know where Lance lived, and he didn't have his number; so it was the best he could do in order to talk to him. It was slightly awkward being there without Shiro. But, the whole point was that he was without Shiro. So he had to deal as he scooted around the crowd awkwardly, ignoring some dirty stares he got as he bumped into families to get a better view of Lance in the water.

  
He was beautiful as ever, his swimming looking completely effortless as he swished his tail back and forth, making sure it caught the light as he did so. It was slightly hypnotizing to watch, and Keith could feel his previous thoughts slowly slip away as he focused on it.

  
The other performers were gorgeous too; but Lance was what stood out, decked out like a king as his pearls swayed in the water, his movements leaving small flashes of glitter behind. Which was kinda gross, but that more Keith's bias towards glitter than a problem in the actual performance. In fact, the other people seemed absolutely entranced with the way the glitter caught the light, making Lance glow even more than he already was.

  
It silently made Keith wonder what the show would look like at night, though he knew that didn't happen.

  
But, maybe it would. Maybe Lance could sneak them in and give a night-show just for him. He seemed like the type of person who would.

  
,,, ** _Okay_** ; now that he really thought about it that sounded totally weird and would probably get Lance fired in actuality. **_Jesus._**

  
Blinking, Keith looked around confused as applause suddenly started. He lifted his hands and quietly mimicked them as he stared into the tank. The performance was over, and he'd zoned out staring at Lance for who knows how long. Though he knew that was the point; to watch Lance, he still felt creepy as he followed the wave of people out the door, keeping his eyes on the floor. He hadn't even spoken to Lance yet and he'd already made things awkward. Nice.

  
"Oh."

  
Keith looked up from the floor to find Lance in front of him, still adorned with glitter and a towel around his neck as he furrowed his brows.

  
Keith returned the look, equally confused.

  
Upon realizing he'd just said 'oh' and nothing else, Lance waved as he explained. "I just thought Shiro would be with you, was all."

  
Shifting in place uncomfortably, Keith shook his head. "I actually need to talk to you about that."

  
Lance paled slightly, but tried to cover it up, acting like he wasn't afraid Keith was going to tell him he somehow ruined Keith and Shiro's happy domestic life by something he did. Though, he wasn't quite sure what he would've done other than stare at Shiro's muscles a little too long or have his heart beat faster anytime Keith smiled. And he was pretty sure neither one of them noticed those. "Yeah, sure; what's up?"

  
Keith opened his mouth then closed it, unsure what to say now that Lance was actually there. He'd been too caught up in his thoughts during the show to practice asking Lance for help. "Shiro's been,,stressed, lately." He crossed his arms across his chest, deciding that was better than letting his arms awkwardly flop at his sides. "I want to do something nice for him."

  
",,,,Okay ?" Lance didn't seem to catch on, seeming as uncomfortable as Keith as he shuffled his feet. He seemed to be bracing himself for something, though Keith didn't know what.

  
"I don't know anything about this place." Keith paused, voice dropping into more of a mumble as he continued. "And where you took us last time was really nice, so,,,,"

  
Just like that, Lance's previous mentality got thrown out the window as a large, cocky grin spread across his face. " ** _Buddy_** , you have come to the right place. I'm like, a dating master here!" He put his hands on his hips as he bragged, lifting his chin.

  
Though Keith rolled his eyes at the display, he believed him. "I just need your help finding somewhere Shiro will like."

  
Lance hummed in thought, his hand moving to stroke at his chin before he suddenly snapped, pointing towards Keith with a serious expression. "I got just the place, follow me."

  
Though Keith was wary about blindly following Lance, he didn't have much of a choice as the male took off, waving him over once he realized Keith was behind.

  
They stopped at a small house, which Keith figured to be Lance's, judging by how he quickly popped open the door to the car in the driveway and gestured for Keith to follow.

  
"Where are we going?" Keith asked as he slid into the passenger seat warily, but less wary than he should've been.

  
"We need to get some stuff first. You know; candles, roses, maybe a cd of _**Careless Whisper**."_  Lance wiggled his brows, though Keith's stayed firmly furrowed.

  
"What ?"

  
Realizing Keith didn't catch the reference, Lance paused in his teasing, blinking. "You've seriously never heard Careless Whisper??"  
  
  
When Keith nodded his head, Lance pulled out his phone, explaining. "It's this cheesy song from like forever ago, but it's got this epic sax." He typed in the name and handed it to Keith, who curiously clicked on the video and immediately regretted it once he realized what Lance had been implying.

  
"Anyways, though; seriously, we need to get you fixed up." Lance interrupted Keith's thoughts as he started up the car, pulling out of the driveway in reverse. "Does Shiro have a favorite flower?"

  
"You were serious about that?" Keith put Lance's phone back into his lap.

  
"Well, yeah, Keith. It's like, dating 101." Lance looked over at him like it was obvious, Keith huffing slightly as he tightened his crossed arms.

  
"Shiro's the one who usually plans our dates."

  
"I know; which is why you came to me." After a beat of Keith being silent, Lance added. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna screw this up for you."

  
Keith pursed his lips, looking out of the window before deciding to reply. "Stargazers."

  
"Huh ?"

  
"His favorite flower is stargazers."

  
"Alright, stargazers it is." Lance reached over and put on his turn signal as he stopped in front of a light, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited.

  
The car was stifling as it stayed quiet between them, the only sound the blinking light on the car and the drumming of Lance's fingers, whatever song that was.

  
Deciding he couldn't stand the silence any longer, Lance cleared his throat. "What's **_your_**   favorite flower?"

  
Keith blinked and looked over at him, taking a few moments before answering with a shrug. "I don't know."

  
Lance nodded and held up a finger. "Okay, new goal; findyou some flowers."

  
Before he had time to interject, Keith was silenced as Lance pulled into a parking space and exited the car, Keith taking a moment to gather his thoughts before doing the same.

  
They walked inside the store and Keith was immediately lost. But, Lance seemed to know exactly where he was going; so Keith ended up trailing behind him like a puppy as Lance searched over the aisles till he found some flowers, inspecting them. "Annndd,," He clicked his tongue before selecting a bunch, holding them up and shoving them into Keith's arms. "checkmate !"

  
Confused, Keith looked over the flowers before looking back up at Lance. "These aren't stargazers."

  
"Yeah, I know." Lance gestured. "They're for you."

  
Keith parted his lips to speak, but ended up pursing them together once more, unsure what to say to the gesture. "Uh, thanks ?"

  
Lance stared for a second longer before sighing, plucking away the flowers Keith was currently holding and handing him some new ones.  "Okay, what about these ?"

  
Realizing Lance wanted his opinion on the matter, and wasn't just giving him random flowers over and over for no reason, Keith looked down at the new ones and shrugged, though that ended up only making Lance's shoulders sink more before he tried searching for some others.

  
"We're here for Shiro," Keith reminded, looking over the display and picking up a bundle of stargazers. There were a couple other flowers and plants mixed in with them, but they would do.

  
Lance just mumbled and walked over to the bakery, inspecting some cakes before waving Keith over and pointing to a display of chocolate covered strawberries.

  
" ** _Super_**   romantic." Lance commented as he got the attention of an employee. "Yeah, we'll take some of these."

  
They didn't look like anything especially romantic; but Keith figured Shiro would like them anyway, so he stayed quiet as the strawberries were boxed and placed into Lance's hands.

  
"Okay, so; flowers, some chocolate,," Lance counted on his fingers as they walked. "All that's left is the candles." He turned to Keith with the same expression he had when he mentioned careless whisper in the car, which Keith wasn't fond of, his face turning hot as he glared.

  
"Lance-"

  
"Alright, alright ! No candles." Though Lance's pestering was annoying, his laugh was genuine, so Keith could ignore it.

  
"I think we're all set then." Lance's tone switched to serious as he looked at the flowers and strawberries. "Now it's just a matter of bringing these to the date." He walked over to the cashier and put the items down. Keith took out his wallet to pay, but was stopped by Lance taking out his own wallet.

  
"What are you doing?" Keith scrunched his face as he watched Lance's fingers separate the ones from the tens.

  
"What does it look like I'm doing ? We can't just steal stuff, Keith."

  
Keith rolled his eyes, teeth grit. "You know what I mean."  
  


Lance waved him off as he handed over the money to the worker and put their items into a bag, handing it to Keith after before beginning to walk out.  
  
  
Keith followed behind, even if he was still kinda annoyed, but ended up pausing to stare at a display of flowers at the storefront, making Lance stop walking to look over his shoulder.

  
"What?"

  
Keith pointed at the red flowers in the pot, thinking back to their previous conversation. "I like those."

  
Lance tried to be mad, or annoyed, considering Keith could've said that when they passed the flowers on their way in. But, Keith was smiling. And as stated before; that did weird things to his heart, so all he could do was shake his head.

  
"Yeah. Those are pretty pretty."

  
Keith's smile faded as he squinted his eyes, looking away from the flowers to face Lance. ",,Did you just say pretty twice?"

  
Lance sputtered before throwing his hands up, giving up. "Just, get in the car-!"

 

* * *

 

 Even if it'd kinda been a mess to get, everything came together nicely. They used a picnic table and a makeshift tablecloth made of a blanket from Lance's house, a vase with the stargazer lilies in it, and the chocolate strawberries arranged on the finest paper plates they could find, again from Lance's house. The chocolate on the strawberries was slightly melted now after everything, but delicious none the same according to Lance, who'd taken one from Keith's plate to make sure.

  
At least, that was his excuse for it. Keith didn't really know if that was the case, or Lance was bullshitting; but he didn't really care, either. His palms were slightly sweaty and his shoulders tensed as he looked over the layout again.

  
They'd chosen a park, which didn't look like anything special. But at night, Lance said it was one of the best places to see the stars. He'd know, after all, since he'd done it before. And Keith was counting on that.

  
",,,You okay?" Lance looked up at him as he licked the chocolate from his lips, Keith taking a moment to tear his eyes from the table to look at him back.

  
"Yeah, just,," Keith took in a breath, smiling slightly. "Nervous."

  
Lance looked surprised, scanning Keith's expression before looking over to the table. "You don't have anything to worry about, dude; we did great! I mean, if I were Shiro right now ?" He whistled, shaking his head.

  
It only made Keith confused and slightly flustered, but he took it anyways. "Thanks."

  
"No prob." Lance gave a genuine smile before shifting in place, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So,,like,,are you gonna go get him ? or,,"

  
"Yeah-" Keith replied, but quickly repeated himself with a clear of his throat once he realized how weak his voice sounded. "Yeah. I will."

  
Lance looked like he didn't seem to believe him, but didn't say anything more, leaning against a bumpy tree and looking up at the clouds.

  
It was pathetic, and Keith knew it. But he hadn't been this nervous since he first kissed Shiro. And that was four years ago.

  
He didn't even know what he was nervous about, either. He knew Shiro would like it.  
  
  
Maybe it was because of earlier. Or something like that.

  
He chewed on his lip before clenching and unclenching his fists, patting his thighs afterwards. "Okay. I'm going to go get him now."

  
"Okay," Lance replied awkwardly, unsure what to do. "Do you want me to like, go home now or,,?"

  
"No." Keith hesitated. "No. Uh, stay here. Or, actually, come with me."

  
Lance was taken back for a second before looking at his car. "Oh, yeah. I kinda have the keys."

  
"Yeah. I," Keith snorted, running a hand over his face.

  
"I-forgot for a second." Lance's shoulders shook as he laughed, face flushed. After he calmed, he held out a hand. "Come on."

  
Keith paused for a second, looking at the outstretched palm then back up to Lance as if he didn't know what to do with it.

  
Lance stayed silent for a moment, shrinking back some before explaining himself. "I'm, uh-,,I'm stuck. To the tree,,The back of my shirt's caught- it's-"

  
Keith sighed, though it wasn't a mean sigh. He was beginning to realize this was Lance, as he untangled his shirt from the jagged tree bark and Lance quickly leaped to the car, yelling that he was free at last.

  
They both slid into the vehicle and started on their way, Keith feeling less anxious now that he realized he wasn't going to have to go alone. Lance turned on another old-sounding song as he drove, singing along to the lyrics as if he'd known them his whole life. Which, he probably had; but it was still a display that left Keith wondering.

  
And after minimal traffic, and more songs Keith didn't know, they pulled up to the hotel.

  
Lance turned down the volume, clicking his tongue. "Go get your man."

  
Keith grinned, and it was obnoxious. "Shut up." He exited the car and shut the door firmly before walking up to the front doors of the hotel, opening one of them and looking around the lobby. He was pretty sure Shiro was asleep still, judging by the fact he didn't see him anywhere. It made him a bit more hesitant to open the door as he came near it. Shiro might get upset at him for leaving, but he wasn't sure.

  
Taking a deep breath in, he opened the door, greeted by the blanketed silhouette of Shiro still on the bed, the covers tangled around him.

  
Keith smiled, quietly shutting the door behind him as he walked in. Shiro looked peaceful, which was good, but also made Keith not want to wake him. Though, it had been a good couple of hours, and he was sure Shiro didn't want to waste a whole day anyway.

  
He gently sat down on the bed and raked his fingers through Shiro's white tuft, moving it from his eyes to place a kiss on his nose. "Shiro,,"

  
Shiro stirred slightly, taking a moment to fully wake up and open his eyes, stretching in place. "Hey, baby." His voice was low and quiet, a bit raspy. Keith was suddenly realizing he hadn't picked out a drink for the date.  
  
  
Shiro stopped for a moment to look around, noting that the tv had turned itself off. ",,Did I fall asleep?"

  
Keith nodded, scooting out of the way as Shiro sat up and noted. "Huh. I guess it really was a day in bed." He chuckled and shook his head, looking over to Keith, who suddenly grew tongue tied.

  
"Yeah. Uhm,"

  
Shiro raised a brow, moving closer to put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "What is it?"

  
Keith cleared his throat before standing off from the bed, Shiro's hand falling back to his side as he stared confused.

  
"I,,did something, for you, while you slept." He rubbed his sweating palms onto his jeans before deciding to just cross his arms.

  
"Oh?" Shiro's expression was unreadable, but Keith continued on anyways.

  
"Yeah, I,,know you've been stressed lately. So,,I, wanted to do something for you." Keith's gaze fell to the floor before he forced it back up to look at Shiro, who seemed taken back, but caught himself and smiled, gesturing for the boy to come closer.

  
"Keith,," Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith's neck as he sat back down on the bed, pulling him close as he planted a kiss onto his lips, a kiss that Keith happily returned, relieved that Shiro wasn't upset.

  
He beamed as they parted, resting his forehead against Shiro's and playing with the hem of his shirt. A moment of silence passed before Keith blinked, pulling away some to speak. "Oh, and, Lance is waiting in the car outside."

  
"What?" 

 

* * *

 

After Keith's explaining, and Shiro's rushing to get dressed, they made it to the car, Lance looking up from his phone to grin at them, stuffing it into his pocket and taking a bow. "I'll be your chauffeur tonight,"

  
Shiro shook his head in disbelief and got into the car, Keith following him into the backseat, due to Lance's orders that the couple needed to stay together.

  
"Any song requests?"

  
Shiro looked to Keith, who simply nodded his head towards him in response, implying that it was his choice. "Uh, anything's fine ?"

  
"Radio Disney it is!" Lance declared, the car going silent before he added. "I'm joking."

  
"I knew that," Shiro looked to Lance through the mirror to see if he got the reference from last night, which he did, considering the narrowing of his eyes and sudden redness of his cheeks.

  
The car pulled out of the parking lot slowly, Lance checking his mirrors thoroughly before stepping on the gas and starting on his way to the date he and Keith had set up. It wasn't a very long drive from the hotel to the park, but it seemed like an eternity, Keith's stomach tying itself into knots once more as Shiro looked out the window curiously.

  
"Where are we going?"

  
"It's a surprise." Lance answered, glancing back at Keith for a second to catch his response. When he didn't hear one, he frowned, realizing Keith was anxious once more. But, he didn't say anything. After all, he was getting kinda nervous too, even though this wasn't even about him. He'd just helped Keith get started, was all. This wasn't about him.

  
It wasn't about him.

  
He bit his lip, shutting off his thoughts momentarily to focus on taking his turn.

  
It wasn't like he was thinking he could be a part of what they had going on or something; he'd only met these guys like, three days ago. And they'd known each other for what, over four years, at least ? Maybe even longer.

  
And besides that; they were  ** _together_**. As in, in a romantic relationship. As in, only hot for each other and no one else.

  
Not that he was hot for them- He just had a kinda crush. Like, a small one. Like the kinda crush you develop on a girl just cause she's in a bikini. Or the crush you develop just because some random dude held the door open for you.

  
It was a Lance problem, and not a real one. He just needed to stop getting his hopes up over nothing. He was a third wheel; and that was how it was going to stay.

  
And he was okay with that.

  
"We're here !" He announced to the silence, turning off the car and exiting it. It was slowly becoming sunset, and it'd be dark soon. Which was perfect for what he had planned.

  
Or, what Keith had planned.

**_  
Get it together, Lance._ **

  
Shiro started to look around, but Lance stopped him, tsk'ing and shaking his finger disapprovingly. "You'll ruin the surprise! Here, put this on and we'll walk you out."  Reaching into his pocket, he took out a sleeping mask and held it up victoriously before giving it to Shiro.

  
"Lance, we didn't agree to this-" Keith started, but Lance simply waved his hand.

  
"I've seen this in like, a thousand movies. Just trust me."

  
"I'm not too sure about this," Shiro spoke, inspecting the sleep mask carefully. It was a simple black one, which he had chosen from his home purposely. He was pretty sure Shiro wouldn't have wanted to wear a mask that had 'bitch is sleeping' written on it, which was the only other choice.

  
"I won't let you fall into any holes, promise." Lance held out his pinky, which Shiro ignored as he turned to Keith instead, who looked to Lance and sighed before taking the blindfold from his hands.

  
"It'll only be for a second." He mumbled as he looked to Shiro for confirmation. It took a second, but Shiro nodded, obviously more trusting of Keith than Lance.

  
Which, you know, stung a little; but he could understand. He had a couple moments with these guys, and planned this. But it didn't matter, they were still basically strangers. What was Shiro's last name? He didn't know.

  
"Alright, I'm ready." Shiro turned to Lance to show the blindfold, and carefully got out of the car with the help of Keith, holding his arms at an odd angle to make sure he didn't fall. It was kinda cute, like a baby deer walking for the first time. Keith held onto his arm tightly to guide him, Lance in front to lead them.

  
"Okay,," Keith looked over everything on the table one more time before looking to Lance, who gave him a nod and a thumbs up.

  
As soon as Shiro's blindfold was removed, Keith held his breath, whereas Lance just stuck his arms out and pointed to everything in wavy gestures.  
  
  
"Ta-da !"

  
Shiro blinked, looking at the knitted blanket tablecloth and the flowers, then the melted chocolate strawberries. "You did all this?"

  
"Lance did. I just went with him." Keith quickly interjected, staying at Shiro's side.

  
"Whoa, hold up; this was your idea to begin with," Lance gave Keith a pointed look, stopping his gesturing to cross his arms.

  
Shiro softened, his shoulders dropping as a smile came across his face. "It's perfect." He turned to his head to kiss Keith's cheek before walking over and taking a seat. "And you remembered?" He quietly laughed as he took one of the stargazers from the vase, touching its petals. "I can't believe it. That was forever ago."

  
Keith beamed, standing taller as he walked over to Shiro. "I still remember it like it was yesterday, though. You were so happy."

  
"Well, of course; I was on a date with you."

  
Lance leaned against his car as they both spoke, proud of his work. Shiro was happy, Keith was happy; it was a job well done, if he did say so himself.

  
"-And that's not even the best part. Lance said at nighttime you can really see the stars here."

  
Shiro hummed. "Is that why we're in a park? I just figured these woods were haunted or something."

  
Keith's face turned bright red, the male stuttering as he tried to reply. "That- it was one time -!"  
  
  
Lance raised his brows at the sudden outburst, becoming extremely invested in learning the story behind it. "Haunted woods ?"

  
They both turned to him, Keith looking like he wanted to run and Shiro grinning like a devil.

  
"It was when we first started dating. It was only about our third date, but Keith had the idea to camp out for a night. Just the two of us."

  
Lance walked over, taking a seat on the other side of the table as Shiro continued with a far away look in his eyes.

  
"We were young, so we were excited. But, that also meant we didn't research anything."

  
Keith opened his mouth to object, but ended up closing it, taking a moment before shrugging and belatedly agreeing.

  
"It was great for the first half. We built a fire, watched the stars, made some smores- but eventually, one of us needed to get more firewood. It was nearly december at this point, so it was pretty cold. I told Keith to stay in the tent."

  
Keith crossed his arms. "I wanted to go with him, but he wouldn't let me."

  
Shiro ran a hand over his face, now the one embarrassed. "At the time, I,,,was kinda hoping you'd see me as some 'Cool Hero Who Gets Firewood For His Boyfriend' when I came back," He shook his head, snorting quietly. "but that didn't happen, though. The more I walked away from the tent, the more disoriented I felt. And eventually I was at the point where I didn't know where I was anymore."

  
Lance nodded, leaning his elbows on the table to get closer.

  
"Now that I think about it, I was probably just 30 feet away from the tent at the most. But the trees were so thick, I couldn't see it." He shrugged before continuing. "Then, after about 10 minutes, I heard Keith calling for me. Or, I thought it was Keith. He sounded kind of weird but I figured it was because he was far away. So, I started walking in that direction."

  
He paused, licking his lips. "Then I heard him calling from another direction, west. Which was strange, because the last time; he'd been calling from east."

  
Lance shuddered.

  
"But, I thought nothing of it and started going that direction. We couldn't use cellphones, so it was all I had to rely on."

  
"Which was a dumb choice. We should've picked somewhere with phone service." Keith frowned.

  
"It would've made things a lot easier." Shiro agreed, sighing. "But, after a while of finding no tent I ended up sitting on a rock and trying to catch my breath."

  
"Better than what I would've done." Lance mused, catching Shiro's attention.

  
"What would you have done?"

  
Lance flicked his wrist. "Give up, cry, rethink my life decisions."

  
Shiro made a face. "I was,,pretty close to that. I think it'd been what, an hour at this point? I'm not sure."

  
"It was a long time." Keith nodded. "And it was cold, really cold. So I got worried and started trying to look for him."

  
Shiro nodded back. "But, eventually, after retracing my steps for the twentieth time; I finally found the tent. The fire was out, which is why I couldn't see it, and Keith was gone. I ended up starting another fire in case he got lost too, and went into the tent to warm up."

  
Keith scrunched his face, obviously not liking the next part of the story.

  
"After a while, I felt Keith enter the tent and get under the blankets. I was half-asleep, so I didn't bother looking and asked what took him so long." Shiro paused. "The only response I got was him saying 'Shiro'. So, I turned around to look at him,,"

  
Lance dug his nails into the table, bracing himself.

  
"But, as it turned out, Keith was standing at the opening of the tent, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. And when I turned to look at who was beside me, they were gone."

  
"I  ** _had_**   seen a ghost." Keith clarified, face pale. "It was,," He averted his gaze to the ground. "It was,,weird, it looked just like me. Except it wasn't, and I was standing there looking at it."

  
"So,,a doppelganger?" Lance suggested, swallowing thickly.

  
"That's what I thought at first. But when we looked it up at home, it turned out to be a local haunting or something. Apparently a lot of people had the same experience."

  
Shiro nodded, chuckling lightly. "Whatever the case, it sure was a hell of a third date."

  
"Sounds like it,," Lance relaxed his death grip on the table, deciding to drop the story and join in on the joking atmosphere instead. "I mean, this can't even  ** _compare_**   to **_that_**."

  
Shiro hummed before looking up at the sky, which had become dark by the time the story ended. The stars were just beginning to come out, and the moon was brightly shining down on them. "I dunno. This is pretty nice."

  
"Yeah," Keith watched Shiro look at the stars then looked to Lance, a gentle smile working its way onto his face. "it is."

  
And there went Lance's heart again, doing its weird routine whenever Keith smiled. He puffed his chest proudly and flashed a bright grin.

  
Even if he was a third wheel, he sure was a damn good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy i bullshitted my way through this Whole chapter but i hope it isnt too bad
> 
> and by the way im !! so sorry i didnt reply to some comments on the last chapter, i only saw them like Way after theyd been made and by then i felt it was too awkward to reply to them so late r ip  
> but like, i really appreciate them and they honestly mean the World to me and really helped in motivating me to write this chapter so  
> yeah, thank you sm my dudes
> 
> to keep things consistent, here's my tumblr; http://sebsterianart.tumblr.com/
> 
> stay rad bros
> 
> (( by the way i never figured out how to fix the double notes thing ))

**Author's Note:**

> ayyy yea this is the first chapter so nothing rly happened other than Gay but i kinda live 4 the gay
> 
> if u also live for gay feel free to message me on my tumblr: http://sebsterianart.tumblr.com/
> 
> and be sure 2 show me if u liked this bc i need Validation(tm) and i'll have the second chapter up in literally like seconds if u do
> 
> catch u on the flipside my dudes


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